Shloka 21
च्यवन-कुशिक-संवादः
Cyavana–Kuśika Dialogue on Hospitality, Service, and Lineage Questions
अस्वामिकस्य स्वामित्वं यस्मिन् सम्प्रति लक्ष्यते । यो वर्ण: पोषयेत् तं च तद्धर्णस्तस्य जायते
asvāmakasya svāmitvaṃ yasmin samprati lakṣyate | yo varṇaḥ poṣayet taṃ ca tadvarṇas tasya jāyate ||
قال بهيشما: «في شأن طفلٍ لا مُعترَفَ له بوليّ، فإنّ من يُرى في الحاضر صاحبَ الولاية عليه، القائمَ بنفقته وتربيته—أيًّا كانت طبقته (varṇa)—تُعَدُّ تلك الطبقةُ نفسها ثابتةً للطفل أيضًا.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse states a dharma-based principle of social identity: for a guardianless child, the presently recognized guardian who undertakes the duty of maintenance and upbringing effectively determines the child’s varṇa in social-legal terms.
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma is instructing Yudhishthira on dharma. Here he addresses how society should classify and treat a child without a known protector, grounding the rule in observable guardianship and the ethical responsibility of providing care.